Free For the Asking

1 Sa.7:12

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen.

 He named it Ebenezer,[a] saying, 

“Thus far the Lord has helped us.

”Read full chapter

1 Samuel 7:12 Ebenezer means stone of help.

Ps.27:14

Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage,

 And He shall strengthen your heart; 

Wait, I say, on the LORD!

Some of the 'sparkle' of joy this Christmas season, feels a bit tarnished

as we think of so many loved ones who are missing loved ones,

then we lift each of them by name to Jesus, our everlasting Helper, 

 Comforter and great joy!

His help, comfort and joy are free for the asking and believing/receiving!

and beyond compare.

What kind comfort to pray

To He who knows all things

Whose Presence is our Help/hope and Stay

Whatever today brings

To wait upon the Lord

May test our patience sore

While discovering the reward

Of trusting all the more

Then, as we trust, our love

Refined through bitter test

Begins to shine the glory of

The One who loves us best

***

God helps us if we ask

He helps us work and rest

And fulfill life's most common task

With zeal, contentment-blessed

He helps us when we lie

On a sick bed; He hears

The whimper of the heart-wept cry

The language of our tears

He helps us, young or old

And bids us, come what may

To discover riches untold

As we trust and obey

When we don't understand

Then yield to dread's alarms

He lifts us with His faithful Hand

To lean upon His arms

What sacred liberty

To ask, and then rely

Upon the Higher Thought of He

Who does not rush reply

Our help in ages past

 Our Rock of Ages still

Our Cornerstone to hold steadfast

Faith, anchored in God's will

Janet Martin

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

Rock of Ages

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Author: Robert Robinson (1758); Alterer: Martin Madan (1760)

1 Come, thou Fount of every blessing;

tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above;

praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

mount of God’s unchanging love!

2 Here I raise my Ebenezer;

hither by thy help I’m come;

and I hope, by thy good pleasure,

safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

wandering from the fold of God;

he, to rescue me from danger,

interposed his precious blood.

3 O to grace how great a debtor

daily I’m constrained to be!

Let that grace now, like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love;

here’s my heart; O take and seal it;

seal it for thy courts above.

Divine Dialogue

2025 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 13

For the 2025 November PAD Chapbook Challenge, 

poets write a poem a day in the month of November. 

Day 13 is to write a dialogue poem.

The Lord's Prayer (Our Father)

Dear Father up in Heaven

How can I give/live my best?

Just love and look and listen

And let Me do the rest

Dear Author of creation

How can I honour Thee?

Just learn to be more patient

And leave the rest to Me

Dear Lord of my salvation

How can my love reply?

Trust without explanation

And watch Me satisfy

Dear Father up in Heaven

I bow with heart undone

Because I am forgiven

Through Jesus Christ, Thy Son

Dear child, then do not worry

In every word and deed

My Kingdom, pow'r and glory

Grants everything you need

Janet Martin

...and He is before all things,

and by Him all things exist.

Col.1:17

To Be Obedient and True...

My oldest grandson is having a life-lesson

in what it means to give his fears to God

and trust Him when he is afraid!

After a tragic accident the other week claimed the life of both parents

of a family they were/are quite closely connected with

he expressed his fears this morning, as he and his siblings are preparing

to spend the day at our house to give our daughter and husband a day to themselves

to be refreshed a bit during this season of grief...

'but what if you get in a car crash?'

They explained to him they will do their part to drive carefully

and then we need to trust in God and not live in fear.

To trust God is faith's first step of obedience,

as we trust Him for our salvation!

Through faith's reverence for God's Word/promises

His love for us grows our love for Him! 

My prayer is for my grandson to begin discovering

God's joy and peace in his childhood, 

as he learns to trust because none of us can see

what lies ahead!

To be obedient and true to God whose commands never shift

Would be impossible to do without love for His glorious gift

Through Jesus Christ, who sacrificed His life to break the curse of sin

And, all who repent and believe, receive His divine pow'r within

To be obedient and true wreaks havoc with our stubborn/fearful will

Until we yield without holds to He who alone can joy fulfill

Then as we walk by faith not sight, trusting, knowing God will provide

His law will be our chief delight and Self more readily denied 

To be obedient and true to God's commands is to secure

The riches of His promises through tests faith is bound to endure

Because we, without tragedy and loss would not find wealth untold; 

The proven character of faith, more precious by far, than much gold

To be obedient and true, to seek God and His Kingdom first

Would seem a thankless thing to do while idolizing/idealizing goals, sin-cursed

But, when we repent and believe, we receive faith's glorious goal

That none but God's grace can achieve or grant; salvation for the soul 

We all like sheep have gone astray and turned from our Shepherd, the Lord

Who died upon a cross to pay a debt that no one could/can afford

Like a Lamb led to slaughter He bore the chastisement we deserve 

Oh, pray faith's eloquence will be obedience without reserve 

Janet Martin

Philippians 2:8

And being found in appearance as a man,

 He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,

 who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, 

scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Isaiah 53:11

After the anguish of His soul, 

He will see the light of life and be satisfied. 

By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, 

and He will bear their iniquities.

Eph.2:1-10

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,

  2in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and

 of the ruler of the power of the air, 

the spirit who is now at work in the sons of disobedience.

  3All of us also lived among them at one time, 

fulfilling the cravings of our flesh and indulging its desires and thoughts. 

Like the rest, we were by nature children of wrath.

4But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 

5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses.

 It is by grace you have been saved! 

6And God raised us up with Christ 

and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

  7in order that in the coming ages 

He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, 

demonstrated by His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, 

and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God,

9not by works, so that no one can boast. 

10For we are God’s workmanship,

 created in Christ Jesus to do good works,

 which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

Beyond the 'But In Part' We See

Below, a photo of a handmade card from a friend,

given almost a year ago...

(the above verse one of my favs)

On Sunday morning one of my students asked me if I have a favorite Bible verse.

 I replied that favourite verses vary, depending on what is happening, etc! 

On that particular morning I had meditated on Ps.119:165.

(because, I asked, 'who doesn't want 'great peace' ?

and that verse tells us who has it and how) 

Today I turned to this familiar and beloved Psalm, 

also an enduring favorite, 

filled with consolation and worship 

as we weather a world filled with sin and it's consequences

 such as sickness and sorrow!

Some sorrows are very public

and others very private!

But God knows them all!

Ps. 46

God is our refuge and strength,

A[a] very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear,

Even though the earth be removed,

And though the mountains be carried into the [b]midst of the sea;

3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,

Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah

4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,

The holy place of the [c]tabernacle of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be [d]moved;

God shall help her, just [e]at the break of dawn.

6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;

He uttered His voice, the earth melted.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,

Who has made desolations in the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;

He burns the chariot in the fire.

10 Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;

The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

***

Take up Thy cross and follow He who grants sufficient grace

Beyond the ‘but in part’ we see before ‘then, face to face’

He helps us bear the suffering that faith must first endure

Beneath the shadow of His wing joy and peace are secure

Do not despair though dark may seem the valley of the hour

The trying of our faith will gleam with God’s sustaining pow’r

Here morning breaks and disappears; all is change and decay

But God remains the same; His years shall never pass away

Then, trust in God with all your heart; He is all-wise and good

From earth we know Him ‘but in part’; love oft misunderstood

So, fix your eyes upon the Prize of ‘someday, face to face’

And do not dread the test that tries the perfecting of faith

Be still and know that He is God; He is faithful and true

Take courage, for His staff and rod protect and guide us through

The valley of the shadow of the part He overcame

At Calvary, for all who love and believe in His Name

Janet Martin

1 Cor.13:12 NKJV

For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face.

Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

God Will Take Care of You

Heb.12:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, 

let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, 

and let us run with endurance the race set out for us.

  2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the authora and perfecter of our faith, 

who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,

 scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

3Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners,

 so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

If The Lord Wills...

Today's devotion, so very fitting for we who are mourning once again!

Our church family is reeling again with the blow

of another sudden loss of one of our family.

Cliff Martin was a friend to my husband, (and me)

both of them life-long truck drivers.

Yesterday morning, for reasons still unknown

Cliff's truck rolled over and he lost his life.

Our hearts are broken for his family

as we lift them to our loving Heavenly Father in prayer.

Will you pray too?

Great is Thy Faithfulness

 

Ps.23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

James 4:13-15

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, 

spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” 

14You do not even know what will happen tomorrow!

 What is your life? 

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

15Instead, you ought to say, 

“If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

(The above verses, since my sister Lucy's sudden death last Sept.

are imprinted on my heart with

every plan I make!!)

If the Lord wills, we will do this or that today. Amen

What peace this precept brings as we face life’s unknowns again

God gives and takes away; life’s day-to-day time’s fleeting nod

Before we go the way of ‘dust-to-dust-and-soul-to-God’

If the Lord wills, we will go here or there today. Amen

We cannot see beyond the very moment we are in

But He who knows our numbered days before one came to be

Unfurls the goodness of His grace for all humanity

To all who trust in Him, He satisfies faith’s deepest needs

The vastness of His mercy thought’s comprehension exceeds

He is with us; He comforts us as we pray once again

‘If the Lord wills, we will do this or that today. Amen’

© Janet Martin

For Those Tears I Died

Break of Day Hymn or Election Day Hymn

It is Election Day in Canada

Ps.113:1-4

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

Praise the name of the Lord!

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord

From this time forth and forevermore!

3 From the rising of the sun to its going down

The Lord’s name is to be praised.

4 The Lord is high above all nations,

His glory above the heavens...

Ps.112:1&7

Praise[a] the Lord!

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

Who delights greatly in His commandments...

He will not be afraid of evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Ps.111:1-4&10

Praise[a] the Lord!

I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,

In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

2 The works of the Lord are great,

Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

3 His work is honorable and glorious,

And His righteousness endures forever.

4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion...

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

His praise endures forever.

Breaking of day is brief; soon heaven's blushing grandeur pales

To workaday backdrops; where duty's common demands press

With weighted musts/mists of creature care and Future's un-blazed trails

Compelling us not to proceed without God's promises

The theater of dawn rings, rife with birdsong-orchestras

Praise He who cups and overflows the fountain of today

No matter what befalls Our God is worthy of applause

He is above all nations; nothing can His will dismay

...then do not be afraid because the Lord is on His throne

His goodness and mercy sustain all who call on His name

From rise to set of sun, pray, we will make His praises known

And love each other well till we return from whence we came 

Time's turn of leaf is brief where breaking of day-to-day tolls

Eternity is chief; let's set our minds on things above

While living here below, let's trust the Saviour of our souls

For all we do not know, then treat our fellowman with love

...for break of day is brief; time's turn of leaf soon filled and stilled

Eternity is chief; not this world's fleeting, noisy roar  

The works of God are great; seek His pleasure and be fulfilled

His everlasting righteousness endures forevermore 

Janet Martin

The theater of dawn rings, rife with birdsong-orchestras...

O Praise The Name (Anástasis) Lyric Video - Hillsong Worship

 

Unparalleled Relinquishment

In the course of my prayer this morning,

 what-ifs suddenly tried to force their way in,

seeking to overthrow trust with doubt, faith with fear!

Lord, you know all!

My parents, my husband and my children are in Thy faithful care!

'what a privilege to carry everything to You in prayer'

What unparalleled relinquishment,

what peace,

 to release to God

 full control!

...and then, this is today's devotion!

Thank-you Lord

Help me Lord, where unknowns tarry, to trust Your unfailing hand

Though your way is oft contrary to the purposes I planned

Help me not to dread tomorrow or to fret its mystery 

Keep me from stooping to borrow sorrows that may never be

In life's course of love and learning, testing courts of heart and soul

Help me to release my yearning to the peace of Your control 

Janet Martin

A morning sky like this makes me think of this hymn...

Still, Still with Thee

Lyrics by Harriet Beecher Stowe

1 Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,

When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee;

Fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight,

Dawns the sweet consciousness I am with Thee.

2 Alone with Thee amid the mystic shadows,

The solemn hush of nature newly born;

Alone with Thee in breathless adoration,

In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.

3 Still, still with Thee! as to each newborn morning

A fresh and solemn splendor still is given,

So does this blessed consciousness, awaking,

Breathe each day nearness unto Thee and heaven.

4 When sinks the soul, subdued by toil, to slumber,

Its closing eyes look up to Thee in prayer;

Sweet the repose beneath Thy wings o'ershading,

But sweeter still, to wake and find Thee there.

5 So shall it be at last, in that bright morning,

When the soul waketh, and life's shadows flee;

O in that hour, fairer than daylight dawning,

Shall rise the glorious thought, I am with Thee.

Amen.

Because The Heart Is Prone To Fear...

The heart is prone to fear

The eye to what it sees

Without God’s Word to commandeer

How gullible are these

The ear is how we hear

With voice we speak and sing

Without God’s Word to enrich cheer

How hollow noises ring

From minds, thought is unfurled

The hand follows, with deed

Without God’s Word, to gain the world

Still cannot sustain need

Bodies are born to die

Dust-to-dust, the Soul’s gown

Without God’s Word, hope is a lie

And knowledge but a clown

The Soul, God-breathed, endures

Beyond mortality

Faith in God and His word secures

Its holy destiny/victory

Headlines spew hateful wrath

And forecasts, dark and grim

God’s Word is a Light to our path

No woe/foe its glow can dim

Better to trust the Lord

In all we do not know

Because the power of His Word

No force can overthrow

The heart is prone to fear

Fear blinds us to the hills

Where God draws flaming chariots near

With peace His Word instills

The heart is quick to yield

To fear and dread and doubt

God's Word is both a sword and shield

None can survive without

© Janet Martin

Eph.6:13-17 BSB

13Therefore take up the full armor of God,

 so that when the day of evil comes, 

you will be able to stand your ground, 

and having done everything, to stand.

  14Stand firm then, 

with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, 

with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, 

15and with your feet fitted 

with the readiness of the gospel of peace.

  16In addition to all this, 

take up the shield of faith, 

with which you can extinguish all

 the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

17And take the helmet of salvation 

and the sword of the Spirit, 

which is the word of God.

Blessed Assurance

My Anchor Holds

To Live a Hymn

Yesterday I attended the funeral

of my friend's father-in-law.

He was 65.

Then, I attended a visitation for another friend's son-in-law.

He was 34.

There my friend told me how my sister Lucy's picture hangs near her sewing machine

so she remembers to pray for me and Lucy's family.

(for irregular visitors here; my sister lost her life suddenly 

when she was hit while riding her bicycle last Sept.) 

Lucy was 55. 

When someone we love passes away it brings an end to

conversations, activities, dreams and plans once fondly shared.

But it flings wide the renewed invitation to dredge the deeps of

what truly matters, above all!

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; 

but the greatest of these is love.

 1 Cor.13:13

Faith in the finished work of the cross!

Hope through Jesus' resurrection!

so we may know God's love

that surpasses knowledge!

1 Cor.15:16-19

16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 

19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, 

we are of all people most to be pitied.

John 11:25-26

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

 The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 

26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. 

Do you believe this?”

Do the above verses not ignite or rekindle a desire

to live the reflection of belief/faith?!

to live a hymn of hope?!

to live the light of love?!!

To live a hymn of love for Thee

O Lord, let this our motive be

To yield Want’s will to Thy command

To trust the leading of Thy Hand

And not with human wisdom try

Reason’s demand to satisfy

But without fail, to find enough

Where these abide;

 Faith, hope and love

To live a hymn to worship Thee

No matter what the cost may be

To know, no matter what our lot

Tis cradled in Divine Forethought

Where, once for all, Thy sacrifice

Suffered and covered pardon’s price

So, we would always find enough

Where these abide;

 Faith, hope and love

To live a hymn of humble awe

O Lord, to delight in Thy law

And then to fill Time's bar of days

With open-handed, thankful praise

Rather than loot of fleeting pelf

That cannot appease gods of Self

Lord, overflow hearts with enough

Where these abide;

Faith, hope and love 

To live a hymn of joy in Thee

With faith and hope's expectancy

Without a dearer purpose than

To love you first, then fellowman

To lay before Thy throne of grace

Each tear that treads the soul or face

Each prayer learning to find enough

Where You provide

 Faith, hope and love

© Janet Martin

Eph.3:14-21

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,

 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name.

 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you

 with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,

 to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

 according to his power that is at work within us, 

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, 

for ever and ever! 

Amen.

Read the full glorious chapter of 1 Cor.15 HERE

1 Cor.15:50-58

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, 

that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,

 nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 

52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, 

and we will be changed. 

53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, 

and the mortal with immortality.

 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, 

and the mortal with immortality,

 then the saying that is written will come true: 

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”[i]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

57 But thanks be to God! 

He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. 

Let nothing move you.

 Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,

 because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Below, the last paragraphs of yesterday's and today's devotions from

Streams in the Desert Vol.2

...and last but not least, my most listened to song of 2024...

I Set My Hope on Jesus

In This World We Will Have Trouble...

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. 

In this world you will have trouble. 

But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The reality of Trump's tariffs fill us with dark foreboding 

as we ponder the repercussions this will have on our (Canada's) economy.

Tariffs. A word that has seized our attention and kindled an outcry 

far greater than words like sin, pride, greed, etc. 

We never welcome trouble and testing

 that crashes into comfort zones and tumbles self-secure 'palaces/solaces'. 

 This generation has been spared the kind of suffering

 our forefathers, founders and builders of this nation endured, 

but we were never given a guarantee that we would always be spared.  

Proverbs 14:34 ESV

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Jeremiah 2:5 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me,

 and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

Jeremiah 18:9-10 ESV

And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it,

and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice,

then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

Psalm 91:1-16 ESV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;

 his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 

You will not fear the tariff terror of the night, 

nor the arrow that flies by day, 

Ps.32:11 (read the whole glorious Psalm HERE)

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

A beautiful reminder of God's unfailing Presence and power

in today's devotion from Streams in the Desert Vol.2 

Dear Lord, Your Word is eternal

What You promise, You will do

In this world we will have trouble

Blessed are all who trust in You

Dear Lord, there is no one greater

Than You, who can thwart Your hand

For You are mankind's Creator

None exempt from Your command

Help us be anxious for nothing

Thank-you Lord, Your Word imparts

Peace that passes understanding

To guard our minds and hearts

This world groans with circumstances

Generations rise and fall

Breath by breath each soul advances

Toward You, Lord, God of all

Then, with earnest expectation

As Your mighty Name we laud

Fill us with fervent elation

For you Lord, are the true God

Dear Lord, Your Word is eternal

No one can its power claim

In this world we will have trouble

A world that You overcame

Dear Lord, Your Word is eternal

Fill faith with fresh zeal again

In this world we will have trouble

But You are Sov'reign. Amen 

© Janet Martin

 

Jer.10:6-7

 (read the whole awesome chapter HERE)

There is none like You, O LORD.

You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.

7Who would not fear You, O King of nations?

This is Your due.

For among all the wise men of the nations,

and in all their kingdoms,

there is none like You...

Only a Holy God

Lyrics

Songwriters: Michael Farren / Rich Thompson / Dustin Smith / Jonny Robinson

Who else commands all the hosts of heaven?

Who else could make every king bow down?

Who else can whisper and darkness trembles?

Only a Holy God

What other beauty demands such praises?

What other splendor outshines the sun?

What other majesty rules with justice?

Only a Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

What other glory consumes like fire?

What other power can raise the dead?

What other name remains undefeated?

Only a Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

Who else could rescue me from my failing?

Who else would offer His only Son?

Who else invites me to call Him Father?

Only a Holy God

Only my Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

The Key/Path To True Happiness

Happiness is not listed with the fruits of the Spirit,

however, happiness is promised to those who trust in and obey the Lord.

( we just might need to take a closer look at what we define as happiness

and who our 'happiness' serves) ooh

Happy/blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

Ps.144:15

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

And whose hope is the LORD.

Jer.17:7

Happiness is the the phoenix that rises

from the ashes on the altar of sacrifice/obedience

So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight

 in burnt offerings and sacrifices, 

As in obeying the voice of the LORD? 

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

 And to heed than the fat of rams.

1 Sa.15:22

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it,

and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work,

this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:25

The law of liberty is not freedom/permission to

do what we prefer, but rather to trust God (who) works all things for good

to those who love Him are called according to His purpose (not ours)

Rom.8:28

John 13:17

If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Romans 2:13

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God,

but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.

Luke 11:28

But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

1 Peter 3:14

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.

“Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.”

James 1:22

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

The path to the house has been cleared so we can get to the front door!

The path of righteousness has been cleared too, not by a shovel

but by a Shepherd 🙏 

To walk in paths of righteousness we first must trust the Shepherd's lead

And acknowledge the selfishness, that hinders true humility

That frustrates full surrender to He who knows and supplies our need

His love, faithful, tender and true secures the law of liberty

He cannot keep in perfect peace, the mind that is not stayed on Him

Who prefers rather, to appease the ways of want with willful pride

And cater to the nature that justifies stubborn wish and whim

Rather than honour the Creator who is able/faithful to provide

The Way, The Truth, the Life is not a 'pick-your-flavour-of-the-day'

His commands are not optional, but He gives us freedom to choose

To accept the duty of man; fear God, keep His commands, obey

He, who authored salvation's plan and paid its price. Or to refuse

With God all things are possible; why are we so deceived by sight?

Making logic more credible than He who rules seas, tempest-tossed

And numbers stars; who through His word grants wisdom to know wrong from right

A Shepherd who is undeterred and leaves the fold to seek the lost

To walk in paths of righteousness we first must trust the Shepherd's lead

And recognize that selfishness approves the wayward ways of sin

We first must bow in thankful wonder before He who fills our need

Who rent the temple's veil with thunder so that all may enter in

So that all may find sweet rest for souls that once were lost, like sheep

For all who trust the Lord are blessed; who make His law their chief delight  

So that we need not fear the vales that wind through Unknowns, dark and deep

The Shepherd, whose love never fails leads us till faith is turned to sight

© Janet Martin

Psalm 95:6-7

O come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God,

and we are the people of His pasture,

the sheep under His care.